What to get a 7 yr old for his birthday?February 2, 2010 9:31 AMSubscribe

What are 6 year olds into these days?

My 6 year old nephew turns 7 next week. What are some cool things I could get him for his birthday? I know he is obsessed with Pokemon and carries around a zillion pokemon cards all the time but that’s about it.

My sis is taking him (and the family) on a week-long ski vacation. I’d like to leave him a bunch of small things to find all week. What should I get him?

My 6.75 year old likes a board game, Carcassonne, which might be fun to bring on a trip depending if you sister is game. If you are looking for small ticket items art supplies are always appreciated, model magic, markers, construction paper.posted by shothotbot at 9:41 AM on February 2, 2010

The 6 year old in my life absolutely loves the children's version of the game Apples to Apples.posted by Eshkol at 9:46 AM on February 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

My 6 year old is obsessed with Lego. His favorite combination has been watching James Mason in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and lusting after the new Lego Atlantis sets. (A few of the sets are on the small side and can easily be carried and hidden.)

Ditto any combination of "Toy Story"/Lego or "Star Wars"/Lego.

When I asked him just now, he said "Maybe action figures. Like the Transformers."posted by MonkeyToes at 9:54 AM on February 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

Magnifying glass, marbles, legos.posted by Malla at 9:56 AM on February 2, 2010

My nephew is into Hot Wheels, toy airplanes, Star Wars stuff (good call on the Star Wars/Legos) the Wii and while it's totally not portable I got him some of these K'Nex jawns for Christmas, no word on whether or not he's actually putting them together yet though.posted by The Straightener at 9:58 AM on February 2, 2010

I have an almost-7-year-old boy. And every kid is different, but he would love:
-- Pokemon cards (always exciting to get a new pack, even if you have a million already, because you never know what'll be inside)
-- legos, legos, legos, especially Star Wars legos
-- Star Wars action figures
-- blank journal or pad of paper with pens or pencils
-- guided doodling books like this, perfect for traveling
-- an iPod. We gave our son a hand-me-down one and he adores it
-- the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, depending on how into reading he is. My son just read them all. There are four volumes plus a great activity book.
-- Uno, the game my kid can't get enough of

For my son, WeekendJen's suggestions of animal figures, trucks and tractors would be way too babyish.posted by BlahLaLa at 9:58 AM on February 2, 2010

My son turns 7 in two weeks. Snap Circuits Jr was his favorite Christmas present. He is into Lego, Star Wars (the first few books in the Boba Fett series are surprisingly well written),video games on the wii (lego star wars and all the mario games are favorites). He got one of those Razor type scooters this summer and loves it. Oh, and he got one of those old-school labelers for Xmas and labeled everything in sight.posted by selfmedicating at 9:59 AM on February 2, 2010

Kids that age like the kind of stuff their mom won't buy them at Target: gum, whoopee cushions, superballs, silly putty, glow sticks, and the like. Take ten bucks to the dollar store and go nuts.posted by stefanie at 10:01 AM on February 2, 2010 [2 favorites]

We got Heroscape Marvel superheroes for our 5, almost 6, year old boys. It says for 8 and up but they LOVE it and it's pretty fun for us to play with them. Also pretty educational. Lots of strategy and counting.

They like it more than videogames and their Wii.posted by beccaj at 10:07 AM on February 2, 2010

(Oh and I was thinking the figures from the game could be what he finds and then he gets the game. There are ten)posted by beccaj at 10:08 AM on February 2, 2010

ooh ooh ooh...i know the answer, though it may be hard to find and i found it on ebay in like 2 seconds. i had one and it was very fun...it has a pedometer in it so the more you walk/exercise, the more points you get. also, it came and went pretty fast before he was born, so you know none of his friends have one...theres an earlier model, but it doesn't have the pedometer or color screen...(search 'pikachu tomagotchi' or 'pikachu virtual pet')posted by sexyrobot at 10:21 AM on February 2, 2010

I JUST saw some 7-to-8-year-olds playing with the Newest Greatest Thing EVER IN THE WORLD. Seriously, they were going NUTS over it and a mom was telling a dad that they could only find them at Walgreens and all the kids at school were crazy for them. They were little plastic "guys" and there was some game (kind of like marbles but the "guys" aren't round) that went with it. The "guys" all had funny names...I'm pretty sure I heard the mom say they're from Japan.

And I cannot remember what they were called. All the googling I've been doing in the last 10 minutes hasn't helped. I will see the same people again on Thursday. I can ask then.posted by cooker girl at 10:28 AM on February 2, 2010

Eshkol: "The 6 year old in my life absolutely loves the children's version of the game Apples to Apples."

Yes! It's fun for grownups too. From what I remember, the rules are the same, but the cards have more kid-appropriate words and adjectives (pajamas, bananas, silly, sticky, etc).posted by radioamy at 10:30 AM on February 2, 2010

Bakugan. I can attest that all the younger brothers of my son's friends (and my son. And his friends) are absolutely mad about them. They are like Pokemon merged with Transformers.posted by jamaro at 10:32 AM on February 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

Seconding this, I forgot all about those damn things. If you happen to be visiting from over the hill, Kinokuniya Books on Saratoga x 280 has a huge selection of them for .99 each.posted by jamaro at 12:02 PM on February 2, 2010

I have an 8 year old boy, and his answer would be: Legos! Bakugan! Star Wars Legos!! He also went through a "maze phase" as Sassyfras suggests, so coloring and/or activity books are also good choices.posted by mosk at 12:44 PM on February 2, 2010

I'm a seven year old and I'd like to have a huge sturdy big multi-function street building truck or tractor. And books about trains, naturally.posted by Namlit at 1:00 PM on February 2, 2010

Kids that age like the kind of stuff their mom won't buy them at Target: gum, whoopee cushions, superballs, silly putty, glow sticks, and the like.

There's a reason why mom won't buy that stuff at Target: it's clutter and it's junk. My own sister buys her nephews crap like this, and the stuff is played with for about 5 minutes and then ends up under the bed or the couch.

You need to find a toy or gift that the kids really really like, and you have to show them how to play with it. Our older son who's seven like his car collection, his Lego and his Ultraman collection. He also likes chess.posted by KokuRyu at 1:36 PM on February 2, 2010

Nobody ever got fired for buying a six year old child Lego.posted by imjustsaying at 2:19 PM on February 2, 2010

There's a reason why mom won't buy that stuff at Target: it's clutter and it's junk. My own sister buys her nephews crap like this, and the stuff is played with for about 5 minutes and then ends up under the bed or the couch.

I should have clarified. I wouldn't suggest this for a regular birthday present you expect the kid to treasure, but it works for "a bunch of small things he can find" on vacation because these things will be destroyed, lost, or otherwise used up quickly. The parents won't have to bring it home with them, nor will they have to worry about leaving any valuable new toys behind when they pack up.posted by stefanie at 2:21 PM on February 2, 2010

Yeah, sorry, that came out the wrong way. But my sister specializes in showering us with crap, like half-baked children's books from the Costco remainder bin.posted by KokuRyu at 5:36 PM on February 2, 2010

It also occurred to me, and I'm sorry to come back late with this: Lego Star Wars stuff.posted by majick at 5:39 PM on February 2, 2010 [2 favorites]

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